Young Adult New Releases January 14th 2025
January is coming in strong with all of these New Releases! Last week we had over 15+ YA books hitting the shelves, and this week we have more than 10 highlighted below! If you missed any of last year’s recent releases you can still find some of them on our Bookshop page.
Build a Girlfriend
by Elba LuzPublished by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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A teen deep-dives into her dating history to uncover her mistakes, become the perfect girlfriend, and get revenge on the wrong guy so she can ride into the sunset with the right one in this debut rom-com.
To the surprise of no one, Amelia Hernandez is once again single. It’s her family curse at work; whether it’s by heartbreak, scandal, or even accidental death, every romantic relationship that a Hernandez woman has will meet its demise eventually. And that may be fine with Amelia’s sisters, mom, and aunts, but definitely not with Amelia.
So, convinced that she is the problem, Amelia decides to embark on an “Ex Retrospective:” tracking down her exes, finding out where she went wrong, and using that information to finally become un-break-up-able for whenever her next relationship comes along. Because Amelia is determined to be free of the family curse…and her family.
However, when Amelia is unwillingly reunited with Leon, the ex to end all exes, she can’t resist having a little revenge on the side, too. After all, what better way to test out her new persona of perfect girlfriend traits than on the boy who broke her heart?
But old loves die hard, and as Amelia’s feelings grow more complicated, she suspects that she may be in for more than she bargained for.
Liar's Kingdom
by Christine CalellaPublished by: Page Street YA
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology/Folklore, Retellings, Young Adult
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Ell has spent years slaving away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard—who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces—shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape.
However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying.
If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.
Everything Is Poison
by Joy McCulloughPublished by: Dutton Books for Young Readers
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
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This historical novel in prose and verse tells the story of a deadly secret hiding in plain sight and of the women who risk everything to provide care for those with nowhere else to turn, perfect for fans of Blood Water Paint and The Lost Apothecary.
Early Seventeenth-Century Rome
For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing: to be allowed behind the counter of her mother's apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she's finally allowed into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. But for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there's another potion requiring darker ingredients. And then there's Aqua Tofana, the apothecary's remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela's years of wishing to follow in her mother's footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all.
First Love Language
by Stefany ValentinePublished by: Penguin Workshop
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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For fans of Frankly in Love and Tokyo Ever After comes a romantic dramedy about finding love and reconnecting with your culture in the most surprising ways.
Taiwanese American Catie Carlson has never fit in with her white family. As much as she loves her stepmom and stepsister, she yearns to understand more about her culture and find her biological mother.
So Catie is shocked when an opportunity comes knocking on her Her summer spa coworker, Toby, says he’ll teach her Mandarin. In exchange, she needs to teach him how to date so he can finally work up the courage to ask out his crush. The only problem is that Catie doesn’t actually have any dating experience. But she can fake it.
With her late father’s copy of The Five Love Languages and all his annotated notes, Catie becomes the perfect dating coach. Or so she thinks. As she gets dangerously close to Toby and to finding out what really happened to her biological mom, she realizes that learning the language of love might be tougher than she thought.
Stefany Valentine’s debut novel is both a fresh, fun romance as well as a profound, luminous story about grief, family, transracial adoption, and what it means to truly follow your heart.
Brewed with Love
by Shelly PagePublished by: Random House Books for Young Readers
on January 14, 2025
Genres: LGBTQIA+, Paranormal, Young Adult
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A cozy, contemporary romantasy about a teen witch who wants to keep her family’s apothecary from falling to the competition but can only do so with assistance from her first crush.
Plant witch, Sage Bishop, is determined to run her family’s old apothecary one day. She spends her time trying to invent the perfect tonic to put Bishop Brews on the map. And she’s going to need one quickly, too, because their biggest competitor is drawing away customers.
Short-staffed, her nana hires Ximena Reyes, Sage’s ex-best friend and first crush, who’s more of an unwelcome distraction than anything. Ximena has always dreamed of leaving their small town behind while Sage wants to tend to her roots. And during one of their first shifts together, someone breaks into Bishop Brews, stealing several tonics, including the one Sage has been working tirelessly on, the same one that wipes a councilmember’s kid’s memory.
To avoid being shut down by the sheriff, Sage decides to investigate. If so much wasn’t at stake, she’d do it alone. But with her grandmother’s legacy and her future on the line, she must partner with her ever smug and unfairly pretty new coworker. As Sage begins to fall for Ximena (again), she’ll have to decide if the comfort of the familiar is worth missing out on a chance at real happiness.
The Queen's Spade
by Sarah RaughleyPublished by: Harper Collins
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
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In this riveting historical thriller that’s loosely inspired by true life events, The Count of Monte Cristo meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.
A young lady can take only so many injuries before humiliation and insult forge a vow of revenge . . .
The year is 1862, and murderous desires are simmering in England. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial “humanitarianism,” which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. From military men to political leaders, she’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions. The top of her list? Her godmother, Britain’s mighty monarch, Queen Victoria herself.
Taking down the Crown means entering into a twisted game of court politics and manipulating the Queen’s inner circle—even if that means aligning with a dangerous yet alluring crime lord in London’s underworld and exploiting the affections of Queen Victoria’s own son, Prince Albert, as a means to an end. But when Queen Victoria begins to suspect Sally’s true intentions, she plays the only card in Victorian society that could possibly cage Sally once again: marriage. Because if there’s one thing Sally desires more than revenge, it’s her freedom.
With time running out and her wedding day looming, Sally’s vengeful game of cat and mouse turns deadly as she’s faced with the striking revelation that that the price for vengeance isn’t just paid in blood. It means sacrificing your heart.
Loosely inspired by the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, The Queen’s Spade is a lush and riveting historical thriller perfect for fans of A Dowry of Blood and Grave Mercy.
Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart
by Eric GeronPublished by: HarperCollins
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
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Leo Anthony Martino loves love.
Unfortunately, love doesn't love Leo back.
Leo Martino's hunt for love has been a total flop. Over the years, every single crush has ghosted him, leaving him miserable and alone. By senior year, Leo concludes he must be unlovable. It's time to stop trying.
But when he finds himself obsessing over the irresistible Lincoln Chan, Leo decides to give love one last shot--and this time, he has a plan. He's going to change everything about himself to become the "perfect boyfriend." And the plan actually works. . .but will he take it too far?
Virulence (Bioluminescence Trilogy, #2)
by Toni DuartePublished by: Toni Duarte
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Dystopian, LGBTQIA+, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
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Choices have echoes
Two months after the explosive events of Bioluminescence, Georgie, Adam, and Oliver are scattered-each grappling with the fallout of their decisions. Their relationships are fractured, their trust in each other fragile at best. To rebuild what they've lost, they'll need to confront their deepest fears and the ghosts of their pasts.
Virulence is a story of resilience, redemption, and the unrelenting pursuit of hope, even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Bingsu for Two
by Sujin Witherspoonon January 14, 2025
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Half-Korean, full-disaster River Langston-Lee is desperate to salvage his senior year of high school (and the rest of his life, while he's at it).
After dumping his girlfriend, walking out of the SATs, and quitting his job at his parent’s coffee shop all in one day, landing a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, seems like his lucky break. Until he discovers his new coworker is the snarky goth girl who humiliated him: Sarang Cho, who’s as determined to save her family’s cafe as she is to make River’s life hell.
When River accidentally uploads a video of his coworkers to his popular fandom account, Bingsu for Two goes viral, but to keep the internet’s attention and save the store, River and Sarang must pretend to be a couple for their adoring subscribers. Easier said than done when they’re one more milk frothing incident away from throwing hands in the breakroom.
Between brewing coffee and acting lovey-dovey for the camera, River realizes Sarang isn’t the heartless girl he originally took her for. But when his ex-girlfriend and old coworkers blackmail him into tanking Bingsu for Two’s fame, River must choose: sabotage Sarang and the one place that feels like home, or save himself from his parents finding out that he’s helping the competitor run their family’s cafe out of business.
Dreamover
by Dani DiazPublished by: Top Shelf Productions
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Romance, Young Adult
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In this captivating debut YA graphic novel, two best friends becoming more than friends feels like a dream come true. But when one sleepover literally turns into a dream, will they ever want to wake up again?
Amber's a headstrong goofball with a temper. Nico's a shy, self-conscious emo boy. But they've been best friends since third grade, and she can't hide her feelings for him any longer. At the end of their eighth-grade beach trip, she confesses... and the feeling is mutual! Thus begins a glorious, blissful summer of first love.
But once high school starts, life gets more complicated. Faced with early mornings, bullies, homework, and other stresses, Amber and Nico cling to each other, neglecting their friends. Soon, Amber starts to wish she and Nico could escape from it all.
One night, as they fall asleep playing video games, Amber gets her wish...
The Swans of Harlem (Adapted for Young Adults): Five Black Ballerinas, a Legacy of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
by Karen ValbyPublished by: Delacorte Press
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Non-Fiction, Young Adult
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A full accounting of five incredibly talented Black ballerinas from The Dance Theater of Harlem, founding members among them, that illuminates their hard-fought, historic, and overlooked contributions to the world of classical dance at a time when racism shut out Black dancers from major dance companies.
It was true until only recently, their past achievements had been erased—that’s what happened to five Black ballerinas, members of the groundbreaking Dance Theater of Harlem. At the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, Lydia Abarca, who dance critics praised effusively, was the first Black prima ballerina of this major dance company, performing lead roles in the most iconic ballets. She was also the first Black ballerina to grace the cover of Dance magazine.
Alongside fellow founding members Sheila Rohan and Gayle McKinney-Griffith, and first-generation dancers Karlya Shelton and Marcia Sells, these swans of Harlem shone a bright light on the depth of Black professional classical dancers. Their grit, determination, and exquisite artistry propelled them to dizzying heights, but over the decades, their trailblazing and triumphs were largely forgotten. Now these ballerinas and longtime friends are giving voice to their stories on and off stage—reclaiming a past so that it is finally recorded and acknowledged.
Biology Lessons
by Melissa KantorPublished by: Feiwel and Friends
on January 14, 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Biology Lessons is a heartfelt and profound contemporary young adult novel about the strength and importance of female friendship in a time when bodily autonomy is outlawed, from acclaimed author Melissa Kantor.
"This is a book that Judy Blume would approve of." --BCCB
Grace Williams has her future all mapped out. A high school senior in her beloved state of Texas, Grace plans to move to New York City after graduation to study at Barnard College, and maybe, someday, win a Nobel Prize in biology. When she's asked to tutor Jack Nelson, the star baseball player who's flunking bio, she thinks it'll be just another activity to list on her college application. Studying turns to flirting, flirting becomes secret hookups, and despite her expertise in bio, Grace gets pregnant. In a state where abortion is illegal, with parents who would expect her to keep the baby, Grace's future is over before it's begun.
With no one else to turn to, Grace must rely on her best friends, Addie and Sebastian, but antiabortion laws put anyone who helps Grace in grave danger, and anyone they encounter might be an informant. When Grace finds a phone number and an offer of help scrawled in a bathroom stall, the three friends hatch a plan to sneak Grace across state lines. The risks to people she loves and those who have befriended her terrify Grace, but with Addie and Sebastian by her side, at least she isn't alone.
A love letter to hometowns, New York City, and infinite possibilities, Biology Lessons showcases the transformative power of friendship in a world where choice is something you have to fight for.
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